Hand dispenser for adhesive tape



Feb. 23, 1965 J. H. CASEY HAND DISPENSER FOR ADHESIVE TAPE Filed Sept. 6, 1962 Mun-Wm? JAM-5H CASEY 4/70 IVE United States Patent Office 3,179,613 Patented Feb. 23, 1965 3,170,613 HAND DISPENSER FOR ADHESIVE TAPE James E. Casey, Roscville, Minn, assignor to Minnesota Mining 8: Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 6, ram, Ser. No. 221,787 3 Claims. or. 225-66) The present invention relates to a dispenser for use in connection with adhesive tape which is wound in roll form on the external surface of a circular core.

This invention provides a substantially semi-circularly shaped handgrip for insertion within the core of a roll of adhesive tape, so that the convex surface of the handgrip is in contact with the internal surface of the core, and the handgrip is held by the operator in the fingers or palm of one hand while the tape is unwound from the core in order to protect the hand of the operator from the rotational movement of the core, and to permit easy rotation of the core, as the tape is unwound from the external surface of the roll. The handgrip is made to be wider than the core of the roll of tape with which it is to be used, and a flange is formed orattached to each edge of the convex surface of the handgrip so that the flanges extend radially outward'beyond the internal edges of the core, in order that the core can be held between the flanges and on the handgrip as the'core is rotated while the tape is unwound from the roll. The flanges also serve to aid in protecting the fingers of the operator from the rotational movement of the edges of the core, while the body portion of the handgrip protects the fingers of the operator from the movement of the internal surface of the core as the tape roll revolves.

Prior to the present invention, various attempts have been made to solve the problem of irritation or injury to the hand of the user of adhesive tape in roll form, since the speed with which taping operations can be performed is reduced by the possibility of such irritation or injury.

Thus, dispensers have been manufactured which include partsfor partially or entirely enclosing the rotating roll of tape. Some machines have even included a cylinder or spool for insertion within the core of the roll of tape and then employed amovable yoke for holding the cylinder or spool within the core. Such machines, however, have not provided for protecting the hands of the operator from the irritation or injury caused by the rotational movement of the edges of the core, as do the flanges on the handgrip of the present invention. The flanges on the handgrip of the present invention also serve to hold the tape core on the handgrip, and, thus, eliminate the need for another separate member to accomplish that function. Consequently, the handgrip of the present invention is an improvement over the prior dispensers which have been made for this purpose, in that it is a simple device which can bemade in one piece from almost any material, and which does not contain any moving parts.

Additionally, the handgrip of the present'invention can be made to include a support means which is attached to the handgrip and extends outwardly therefrom beyond the convex surface of the handgrip and the external surface of the roll of tape which is wound on the core, and severing means can then be attached to the extended end of the support means for use in severingthe tape which has been unwound from the core. Such a dispenser can be molded from plastic material in one piece, and such a dispenser can also be made so that it includes. means for guiding the tape which has been unwound from the core, said guiding means including means for preventing the severed end of tape which has been unwound from the core from becoming attached to the external surface of the tape which is wound on the core, Thus, dispensers can be manufactured quickly and inexpensively to provide a novel device which has no moving parts, so that it can be easily used by operators who have had no training or instruction in the operation of the dispenser, and the operator will be able to work quickly with it because there is no likelihood of injury or irritation to his hand.

.Other objects and advantages of this invention will be core of a roll of tape, with the hand and fingers of the operator shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of a handgrip to which a support has been attached, which support extends outwardly beyond the convex surface of the handgrip and with a severing knife and tape guiding means attached to the extended end of the support, with portions thereof partially broken away, for reasons of clarity;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 4, looking at the side from which the convex surface of the handgrip would be seen;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the'end of the dispenser shown at the top in FIGURE 4, looking at the end containing the severing knife;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view looking at the dispenser as is indicated by the lines 77 shown in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 4 with a roll of tape mounted thereon, and showing the hands of the operator pulling tape from the roll, with the hands or fingers of the operator and the severing position of the tape shown in dotted lines. I

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2, 1mm be seen that the handgrip 10 is formed to include a semi-circularly shaped body portion 11 having a concave surface 12 and a convex surface 13. A flange 14 is attached to one edge of the convex surface 13, and a flange 15 is attached to the other edge of the convex surface 13., The handgrip 10 is preferably formed in one piece from a resilient material, such as plastic, and the flanges 14 and 15 can then be formed as an integral partof the body portion 11, such as is shown in the drawings. Also, an advertising message can be formed into, or attached onto, the concave surface 12' of the body portion 11, and said message will be visible to the user of the handgrip even after the handgrip has been inserted within the core of a roll of tape.

The handgrip 10 is inserted within the core of a roll of tape 16, which is wound on a core 17, by the operator moving the ends of the handgrip slightly toward each other, and moving the handgrip 10 into the core 17, and then releasing the ends so that the resilience of the material fromwhich the handgrip is made causes the ends to return to their normal position. The flanges 14 and 15 are then positioned along opposite edges of the core 17 and extend radially outward beyond the edges of the core, and the convex surface 13 is in contact with the internal surface of the core, as is shown in FIGURE 3;

If the handgrip has been formed from a material which does not provide enough resilience to permit it to be inserted within the core in the above manner, the core and the tape which is wound thereon can be deformed slightly to allow one of the flanges to pass through the interior of the core in order to insert the handgrip within the core. a

The handgrip It) is formed so that the curvature of the convex surface 13 is approximately the same as the curvature of the internal surface of the core 17 with which it isto beused, and the adhesive tapes-which are sold for industrial uses are usually wound on cores having a diameter of three inches. Thus, after the handgrip 1% has been insertedcwithin the core 17, the core will be'rotatable with respect to the handgrip, and, after the operator has'placedhis hand against the concave surface12 and the flanges l4 1 and 15, as is shown in FIGURE 3, the tape T can be unwound from the external surface 'of the roll .16 without any likelihood of injury or irritation to the hand or fingers f the operator from the rotational movement which is then made by the core. The operator can attach the free end of the unwound tape T to an object, and pull on the handgrip in order to unwind tape from the roll 16, and

the hand of the operator willbe protectedfrom the movement of the core and the tape which is wound on the core. Thus the tape can beunwound as fast as the operator can move-the roll with the handgripinside the core thereof,

and the unwound tape T canbe attached to the object and then be torn off'ftomthe roll or severed by an independent knife or scissors.

Referring now to FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, the embodi-.

mentof my invention which is shown therein is preferably formed in one piece from molded plastic and provides a handgrip having means thereon for guiding and severing the tapeT which is unwound from theroll. Asisshown in the drawings, a support member Zthis attached to the handgrip It) and said support. member extends outwardly therefrom beyond theconvex surface 13 of the handgrip,

also extends outwardly beyond. the external surface of the tape which is wound on the core. The support member 29 includes a thin portion 21 and a wide'portion 22. A knife blade 23 is attached to wide portion 22 by means of screws 24 which extend through apertures in said knife blade and into wide portion 22 of support member 2%). Knife blade 23 is'preferably. formed from a piece of corrugated metal which is beveled alongonly the underside of the cutting edge, so that the sharp-edge of the blade is notlikely'to be contacted by the operator. *Additional- ,l'y, the wide portion 22 of the support 21 is formed to 'proand between pedestal 2'7 and wide portion 22, with theadhesive side ofthe tape facing toward the lands 23 of pedestal 27. The operator then grasps the concave sur- ,and, as is shown in FIGURE 8, the support. member 25), i

vide guards 25 and 26 at .eachside of .the antennae 23,

to protect against accidental contact with said blade. However, the severing edge of the knife blade 23projects outwardly from Wide portion 22 as is shown in FIGURE 4, to permit the tape which has been unwound from the roll to contact said blade when the operator .desires'to sever the tape.

A pedestal 27 is attached at one of its ends to-the thin portion 21 of the support, member 20 and in a position close to the wide portion 22 of said support member, and

said pedestal extends outwardly from said thin portion. fora distance approximately equal to the width of .wide,

portion 22. The surface of pedestal 27 which is closest to wide, portion 22 is formed intol ands 28 and grooves 2?,

as is shown in FIGUR E 7, in order to present less surface to which the adhesive surface of the unwound tape T can adhere after the'unrolled tape 'T has been severed on the knife blade 23. Thus, the pedestal 27 se'rves'to prevent the severed end of thertape Twhich has been unwound from the. roll from being moved against the tape roll 16. Instead, the severed endof tape T which has beenunwound'from the roll can be adhered to the lands28 of pedestal 27,50 that the end of the tape will project outwardly from said pedestal, and, thus, be in position tobe grasped by the operator whenmoretape is to be unwound from the roll. A retaining lug 30 is formed on the end of pedestal 27,-which is most remote from thin portion 21 of support member 20, andsaid lug serves to aid in guiding the tape T between the pedestal 27 and the wide portion 22 as it is unwound from the rolllo;

The .core 17 of the-rolljof tape 16 is rnountedonthe handgrip'lil of the dispenser shown inFIGURE 4 in the face 12 of handgrip 1i) and the flanges 14 and 15, in one hand, and either adheres the free end of the tape T to an object or holds it inthe other hand, as is shown in FIG- URE 8, and by holding'the free end stationary and puller.

ing on the handgrip 19 he can cause tape to be unwound from the roll and moved outwardly from the dispenser.

This movement of the tape causes-the tape roll 16 and core 17 to revolve and rotate on the handgrip 10, but the body portion 11 and the flanges 14 and 15' serve to. protect the hand of the operator from injury or, irritation as the result of that movement; When as much tape T as theoperator wants to use has been thus unwoun'd f'romlthe roll 16, the dispenser is moved relative to the unwound-tape until the.

tape is in the position which is shownin .dotted lines in FIGURES; so the knife. blade 23 contacts the tape and severs the tape across thewidth thereof, and the severed length of tape is adheredto an object. The severed end of the unwound tape T fromthe roll 16 will be prevented from movement into contact with .theroll' 16 by the pedestal 27, and the adhesive surface of the end of tape can be removed easily from adhesive contact withrthe lands 2% of pedestal 27 when thepoperator desires to repeat the above movements in order to sever another length of tape from the roll.

Variations in the above described handgrijp dispenser can be'envisioned- For example, the concave surface of the handgrip can be filled in and-provided with indentations shaped to conform with the fingers of the operator,

and the supportmember can be pivotably attached to the handgrip and be biased toward the handgripby-a spring.

Such variations are comprehended, andlI; do not intend to be limited only to the specific embodiments he'rein'dis-v closed, but, rather, I intend to be limited by my disclosure 'takenas a whole, including the appended claims. 7

I claim: a

1. A dispenser for use in connection with adhesive tape which is wound into'rollform on the external surface 'of a circular core, said dispenser comprising a substantially semi-circularly shaped handgrip for insertion withinthei core so that the convex surface of saidihandgrip is in contact with the internal surface of the core, saidhandgrip being wider than the core and having a flange attached to each edge of the convex surface thereof and extending vradially outward. beyond the internal edges of'the core;

so that the core can beheld between said flanges and be rotatable'with respect to said. handgrip as the handgrip' is held in the hand of-the operator while the tape is un- 'wound from the core, inorderto protect the hand ofthe operator'frorn the rotational movement of the coreas'the tape isunwound from the'core. g

2. Adispenser for use in connection with adh'esive'tape which is wound into roll form onthe external surface of a circular core, said dispenser comprising a substantially semircircularlyshaped handgrip for insertion .within; the 'coreso that the convex surface of said handgrip is in con- 7 tact .with the internalsurface'of the core, support means attached to said handgrip and extending outwardly therefrom beyond the convex surface of said han'dg'rip andthe;

external surface of the tape which'iswound on the core, and. severing means attache dto the extended end of 'said' support means for severing across the width thereof'the tape which has been unwound from the core, said handgrip being wider than the core and having'a flange attached to each edge .ofthe convexsurface'thereof and extending radially outward beyond the internal edge'sof the core,.so

that the core can be held between said flanges and be rotatahle with respect to said handgrip as the handgrip is held in the hand of the operator while the tape is unwound from the core, in order to protect the hand of the operator from the rotational movement of the core as the tape is unwound from the core.

3. A dispenser for use in connection with adhesive tape which is wound into roll form on the external surface of a circular core, said dispenser comprising a substantially semi-circularly shaped handgrip for insertion within the core so that the convex surface of said handgrip is in contact with the internal surface of the core, support means to said handgrip and extending outwardly therefrom beyond the convex surface of said handgrip and the external surface of the tape which is wound on the core, severing means attached to the extended end of said support means for severing across the width thereof the tape which has been unwound from the core, and means attached to said support means intermediate said severing means and the external surface of the tape which is wound on the core for guiding the tape which has been unwound from the core, said guiding means including means for preventing the severed end of tape which has been unwound from the core from becoming adhered to the external surface of the tape which is wound on the core, said handgrip being wider than the core and having a flange attached to each edge of the convex surface thereof and extending radially outward beyond the internal edges of the core, so that the core can be held between said flanges and be rotatable with respect to said handgrip as the handgrip is held in the hand of the operator while the tape is unwound from the core, in order to protect the hand of the operator from the rotational movement of the core as the tape is unwound from the core.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,400,881 Kahn May 28, 1946 2,777,594 Krueger Ian. 15, 1957 3,085,727 Waltz Apr. 16, 1963 3,109,570 Maddalena Nov. 5, 1963 

